The year 2024 marks a quarter-century since the Chi-Chi Earthquake. On the occasion of its 25th anniversary, we aim to comprehensively review various earthquake-related topics, covering areas such as science, engineering, disaster management, and social institutions. Unlike previous Chi-Chi Earthquake conferences, this year’s conference invites experts and scholars from different fields, both domestic and international, to come together. By interweaving the various topics without categorization, we ensure that all participants can gain a deep understanding of the progress in other fields, thus facilitating interdisciplinary dialogue and truly achieving an integration of knowledge.
The conference yielded notable results, which can be summarized as follows:
1. Promoting cross-field collaboration among four key areas: This conference brought together experts and scholars in earthquake science, earthquake engineering, disaster relief, and social systems. Through a historical review and the popularization of specialized knowledge, they transformed their expertise into accessible language and provided insightful perspectives during discussions. This arrangement sparked new ideas and perspectives, offering a more diverse range of solutions to earthquake-related issues.
2. Learning from international experiences: Experts from countries prone to earthquakes shared their experiences and coping strategies. This provided us with an opportunity to absorb the successful experiences of others and incorporate them into our local strategies. For example, while the Cascadia subduction zone in the Pacific Northwest of the United States has the potential for a magnitude 9 earthquake, the long period of seismic quiescence has left the public largely unaware of the looming hazards. As a result, the Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT) has implemented creative ways to raise public awareness of earthquake risks. In New Zealand, research focuses on disaster preparedness communication methods and social psychology to find the most effective communication strategies. Japan has conducted long-term tracking of post-disaster village relocations to empirically assess the effects and long-term impacts of relocation policies. In addition to these international experiences, the conference also revealed that Taiwan's progress over the past 25 years is remarkable. Taiwan has become a global model for disaster prevention and mitigation, with some of its policies and measures being both forward-looking and internationally recognized as benchmarks in earthquake disaster prevention, showcasing the unique value of Taiwan's experience.
3. Reviewing the past and planning future development directions: Taiwanese experts and scholars reviewed significant advancements in legal systems, disaster prevention mechanisms, and technology over the past 25 years. These include the establishment of the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction (NCDR), innovations in seismic structural engineering, public infrastructure reinforcement strategies, and the development of Taiwan Earthquake Model (TEM), all of which have made significant contributions to disaster reduction and prevention in Taiwan. Looking to the future, building a disaster-resilient society is a key goal, including the continued promotion of resilient communities, disaster response personnel, and Taiwan Community Emergency Response Teams (T-CERT). There is also a need to enhance the capacity for longitudinal studies to effectively evaluate policy effectiveness. Furthermore, the development of post-earthquake damage assessment using drones combined with machine learning, building digital twins, and building black boxes will further improve the efficiency of earthquake-resistant construction. The deepening of interdisciplinary cooperation will drive innovation in seismic reinforcement and communication strategies. Additionally, research into offshore active faults and the potential risk of interaction among complex structures to trigger major earthquakes is essential.
Official Website for this conference: https://chichi25.earth.sinica.edu.tw
